The Gift of Love
by Corrinn
Summary: Even the strong, silent type needs to feel loved. A Gwen/Yuu pairing!
1. Chapter 1

Black eyes stared out lustfully from the most adorable, yet sexy face he'd ever seen. He reached for the now twenty year old Maou and the young man dodged playfully. Gwendal growled and reached for the Maou again; again he dodged.

"Yuri..." Gwendal growled softly.

"Gwendal if you love me you'll catch me," Yuri called with a look that Gwendal couldn't deny.

"Yuri, I," Gwendal blushed and looked at the ground.

"Hey, Gwendal, what's wrong?" Yuri paused in front of Gwendal. The older mazoku grinned evilly and tackled the Maou to the ground.

"Gotcha!" He whispered triumphantly before covering any of Yuri's complaints with a passionate kiss. Yuri's response was to much more than Gwendal could have ever expected. He moaned against Gwendal's mouth, tangled his fingers in his hair, and pulled him tighter.

Gwendal's brain fogged over. How many times had he wanted to do this? To hold and be held by a man that he was deeply and passionately in love with? He couldn't help the moan that erupted from his throat or the pounding of his heart.

Gwendal felt an irritating tap on his arm and swatted at the offender. He felt the tap again. This time he leaned back from the Maou and opened his eyes to see Yuri standing beside his bed, not laying down beneath him on the floor. The sun shone brightly through his bedroom window, and Gwendal knew, with not a small bit off horror, that he had slept late again due to that confounded and delicious dream. His face turned beet red. Yuri leaned back, giving Gwendal a weird look. 'Oh no,' Gwendal thought to himself. 'Did I talk in my sleep?'

"Gwendal, are you feeling okay?" Yuri asked tentatively. Gwendal had to fight pulling him down and hugging him with that cute concerned look on his face.

"Yes, Heika, I'm fine. Now if you could please leave the room so I could put some clothes on."

It had been a long standing joke that Gwendal probably slept in the nude, though no one believed that someone as stern as Gwendal would actually sleep with no clothes on. Shock registered on Yuri's face as he realized those rumors were true. His face almost glowed red he was so embarrassed and... what was that other feeling? Excitement? Desire? Yuri panicked and bolted from the room, leaving Gwendal confused at the myriad of looks that flashed across Yuri's face.

Gwendal dressed quickly, still embarrassed that he had overslept. As he neared his office, the sound of a hellacious argument could be heard. Gwendal couldn't make out any of the words until he stood outside of the door. He paused, then thought better of going through the closed door. He didn't want to interrupt what sounded like an interesting argument.

"Wolfram, Papa Yuri doesn't love you, and I know you don't love me. You hate humans, so how could you possibly?" Greta had never sounded so angry.

"Greta, I, that's not fair!" Wolfram yelled back. "You know I love you!"

"No, you only pretended to love me. You thought it would make Yuri fall in love with you. Well, it didn't work. He's really in love with-"

"Greta!" Yuri roared. "You promised you'd never tell." Gwendal stood in shock that Yuri had actually yelled at his daughter. And he was a bit shocked that Yuri was in love with someone. Probably Conrad, Gwendal thought sadly. He knew that his own growing affections would never be returned by the Maou, who was more afraid of him than he let on. His thoughts were interrupted when Yuri spoke again, this time directing his anger at Wolfram.

"As for you, Wolfram, like I just told you: You. And. I. Are. No longer. Engaged. We are done. If you can't understand that, I will have you forcibly removed from the castle."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Gwendal heard scuffling and knew that the guards that were never far from the Maou had grabbed Wolfram to escort the young prince off the castle grounds.

"Let me go! I will leave. But Yuri, you know where my family's lands are. You come get me when you change your mind."

The door flung open and almost hit Gwendal. Wolfram stalked out. Gwendal watched his younger brother leave. A thought struck him and he blushed. The love of his life was not engaged. He was free to pursue!

"Gwendal, come on in. I was just resolving an issue." Yuri coughed and smiled at his own little joke. "We can start on paperwork whenever you're ready."

"Did everything go as planned?"

Yuri grimaced. "Well, at least he didn't burn down the castle."

The corners of Gwendal's mouth twitched up briefly in a smile. The Maou was right. If Wolfram hadn't destroyed or hurt anything, things went well. He walked inside and sat at his usual side of the desk. The two men got right down to work without further conversation. Yuri had been good, for the last year or so, about actually settling down to do paperwork. Gwendal had been almost disturbed, but slightly pleased, that Yuri had approached many months ago to ask him to help him focus to get the work done. Gwendal had of course agreed. The documents had piled up nearly to the ceiling before Yuri had decided to officially "get down to business" as he called it.

Gwendal glanced several times over at Yuri. He thought it was adorable the way his king would chew his lip while reading a document, looking for all the world like the words would jump up and tell him whether to approve or deny whatever request the paper held. Gwendal had his own paperwork to do, so he mentally shook his head at the hormonal way he was acting, and tried to focus. The picture of Yuri chewing his lip and Gwendal kissing it to stop him flashed through the usually stoic General's mind and he growled low in his throat. Yuri jumped at the sudden sound and glanced over at Gwendal. The unreadable look on his face almost scared him. Yuri cleared his throat and Gwendal's face changed to his usual impassive, uninterested look.

"Gwendal, you know traditions and such probably as well as Gunter, right?"

Gwendal tried to read Yuri's mind before answering, knowing he was going to be in for a horrible question if he answered Yuri's. "I believe Gunter and I studied under the same tutor, so yes, I probably know almost as much as Gunter. Why do you ask?"

Yuri blushed. "Well, I- Never mind. It's nothing."

"What is it, Heika? I'm sure I could at least be of a little bit of help." Gwendal wanted to do anything to erase that terribly uncomfortable look on Yuri's face.

"Well, uh, I was wondering about dating in Shin Makoku. What are the traditions for that? If I wanted to show interest in some person, how would I go about doing it?"

It was Gwendal's turn to blush. He would have been even more embarrassed if he knew Gunter stood just out of line of sight, listening to his oldest friend's awkward explanation.

"H-Heika, I, well from what you have talked about, many of the traditions are the same. You spend ample amounts of time with them. You give them gifts that really mean something to you. I've even heard of people writing poems or letters. Once one's affections are know, the couple may engage in se-se- sleeping with one another. It's not really looked down upon here." Gunter had to stifle a giggle. He knew that his friend cared deeply for the Maou and to hear him struggle to say the word sex in front of the king made the conversation even funnier. He cleared his throat and breezed into the room at that point. Both Gwendal and Yuri were sitting there, red-faced, and not looking at each other. He figured now was as good a time as any to break up the hilarious discussion and send Yuri off to practice his swordsmanship with Conrad.

"Conrad's waiting for you down in the courtyard, Heika."

"Okay," Yuri muttered, relieved for the interruption. He shuffled quickly from the room.

"Now what's that look for Gwendal?" Gunter asked with a hint of laughter.

"That boy is going to drive me nuts. He doesn't focus on his work and then he does off the wall things like ask me how to court someone. I just... don't know what to do with that boy."

Gunter waited a few seconds before responding with complete seriousness, all joking aside. "The biggest problem you have, Gwendal, is that you no longer see him as a child. He's become a man right underneath your nose and now that you've noticed, it's become increasingly difficult for you to control your feelings. Before, you could write it off as something you feel for all things small and cute, but now..."

Gunter left the sentence hanging, waiting for a response from Gwendal. He didn't have to wait long.

"You know, Gunter. You're correct. You are always correct. I really do have strong feelings for him. Because of his relationship with Wolfram, I never let myself really examine what I feel, but he just broke it off this morning. I felt relief, joy even, that I had the opportunity to now maybe try to pursue him, but he has feelings for someone. It's going to hurt when he proposes, but I guess that's to be expected with matters of the heart."

Gunter put an arm around his friend to comfort him. "Gwendal, you could try courting him. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe it's you he loves."

Gwendal shot out of his chair at that point. "Gunter! I do not need that image in my head while I try to be happy for whoever Heika chooses. It'll be bad enough as it is. Besides, I think he's more afraid of me than anything else." Gwendal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a sure sign for Gunter that the conversation had ended. He patted Gwendal's arm as he left the office.

TTTTTTTTTTTT

Six weeks went by without any sign of Yuri's new love interest. Rumors flew about who it could be, though no one really had a clue. Love was in the air with several people receiving special gifts. Yozak found a beautiful pair of amethyst earrings laying on his pillow. Anissina had broken her favorite pair of pliers and saw that they had been replaced with a new pair strengthened with majutsu. Even Murata, the Geika himself, had received the most beautiful love poem Gwendal had ever heard. It made him think of how he deeply he felt for Yuri Heika. He had blushed for several hours hearing about that one. Gwendal was growing more depressed with each passing week, wondering which of the three to receive gifts were the love interest of the Maou, since he knew it wasn't him. He had received nothing. Wouldn't everyone be surprised to find that the brave and immovable Gwendal was heartbroken.

Gwendal heard soft laughter outside his office window. One of the maids was trying to pry information about Heika out of Conrad. He gently told her that he didn't know and walked away. Something in his voice made Gwendal think that he was lying. His eye twitched. He'd ask his younger brother himself sometime. Maybe.

He turned in that night much later than usual. He started to undress when he noticed that something was amiss. Looking at the bed, he knew what it was. There, laying on his pillow, was a rolled piece of parchment. His heart thudded in his chest. Maybe Yuri had left him a note. Maybe he was the one that Yuri loved. With a hand that was shaking more that it probably should have, he unrolled the letter and frowned slightly. The delicate, feminine handwriting was most definitely not Yuri's. Gwendal had spent enough time with him over the last year and a half to be able to recognize his chicken scratch. He read the note anyway, curious as to who would have left it.

_"Dearest Gwendal, I love you with all my heart. You mean the world to me. I can see through that hard, gruff front you put up. I'm not fooled. You are an incredibly handsome, sweet, gentle person. You are like a bright sun in my otherwise dark existence. My heart pounds in my chest whenever you are near and lately it's been all I can do not to grab you, kiss you, and declare my love in front of everybody. I've decided, however, to do things right. This will be the first of many letters, if you want. To let me know that you are interested, or at least curious as to who I am, leave your hair tie behind the large fountain in the garden. If I find it, a letter will be on your pillow that very night. Until next time, my love goes out to you." _

Gwendal stood still barely breathing. He reread the letter three more times for a clue of his admirer. It gave nothing away. He dropped into his chair by the window just as he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Gwendal, I hope you're not dressed for bed yet. I really don't need to see all of your anatomy. Warn me if you're not decent."

"I'm dressed, Gunter," Gwendal sighed absentmindedly.

Gunter opened the door and stepped in slowly. "You seemed a little worn out today. I was wanting to know if you'd like to go on a walk to wind down. Oh, who sent you a letter."

Gwendal blushed. "I don't know. It's a secret admirer. Here. Read it and tell me what you think." He waited in tense silence while Gunter read the letter, his face unreadable. His best friend finished the letter and, without speaking, sat in the other chair in the room. Gwendal's impatience won out.

"Well..."

Gunter cleared his throat. "Gwen," Gunter used his friend's nickname to show how serious he was. "You, you must do as the letter asks. It is the only way to see what the next letter brings." He then turned into his usual, exuberant self. "Oh my, who would have thought that my dear Gwendal, rough exterior and all, would be courted by a secret admirer. Though they're probably remaining secret out of fear that you will glower at them and be mean."

He laughed and ducked the ball of yarn Gwendal threw at him. "So about our walk, we could go by that fountain..."

Gwendal blushed. "I... would like that very much."

TTTTTTTTTT

The next day, Gwendal was more irritable than usual. Gunter knew that it was, in part, just his friend being excited about finding another letter tonight on his pillow, but swore to take the discovery of any letter to the grave with him. The other part was the fact that Gwendal's hair dangled in front of his face and in his way without the hair tie to fasten it behind him.

"Damn hair, I should cut it all off," Gwendal muttered under his breath.

"I really hope you don't do that, Gwendal. Your hair looks nice like it is."

Gwendal spun. Yuri stood there with an embarrassed smile on his face. It was afternoon and time for more paperwork, so he had come to see his General, not realizing that he was in a foul mood.

"I'm sorry, Heika, it's just that I'm not used to my hair hanging in my face."

"What happened to your hair tie?"

"I lost it. Somewhere."

In the nearly six years of being in Shin Makoku, Yuri had never known Gwendal to lose or even temporarily misplace anything. Especially something that seemed to be a permanent staple of his wardrobe. Gwendal started to look uncomfortable with Yuri staring at him, so the Maou turned away.

"Which stack should I work on today?"

Gwendal motioned to the far right side of his desk. Those were the ones that needed the Maou's immediate attention. Yuri nodded and pulled a chair close to the stack. Silence seemed to be what Gwendal wanted, so Yuri didn't say a word. He simply started at the top of the stack and worked his way quietly down until there was nothing left. Nighttime had come up abruptly and, happy that he had made it through at least one stack of papers, Yuri stood, stretched, and bid Gwendal goodnight. Gwendal waited for Yuri to turn down the far hallway before walking swiftly to his bedroom.

When he reached his room, a wave of nervousness hit him. What if his admirer didn't find the hair tie? What if they didn't want to write another letter? He mentally shook himself. Where was all this doubt coming from? He usually was so calm and collected about everything, but this had his stomach in an uproar. Gwendal slowly turned towards the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief. There was another letter on his pillow. He picked it up and read it immediately.

_"Dearest Gwendal. So you do have a romantic side! I was sincerely hoping that you would leave me your hair tie. You can't believe my joy at having found it this morning. I began this letter almost the minute I got back inside the castle. _

_I suppose I should tell you what happened to make me fall in love with you. The time that sticks out to me the most is just a few months ago. Some of the troops had come back from a mission that you had sent them on. They surrounded you and told you about the two soldiers that had died in battle. I watched from a window as you told their families what had happened. You even broke down in front of them and cried with them. I knew then that I loved you, body and soul, wholeheartedly. Any man who would care for people that much was a man that I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. Now for the other part of what I love about you. You have the most amazing blue eyes that show your emotions, even if you face gives nothing away. Just looking at them makes me feel like I'm drowning._

_Tonight, if you want another letter from me, leave me the one object that's most precious to you at the same spot. Yours until the very end, I love you so much." _

Gwendal fought back a smile. Whoever it was, this person really loved him. He looked over at his sword. The one object most precious, huh? Bando-kun was still attached to the end of his sword. That would be the object. That little dolphin had never left his sword. His stomach fluttered at having to give it away, but he knew that he'd have to in order to find out who it was that was leaving these letters. He reached over, removed Bando-kun, and walked outside with determined eyes. The next day passed in a blur. Gunter noticed the lack of the charm and merely raised an eyebrow at his friend. Oh he was curious, all right, but he wasn't going to get in the way of his friend and whoever this secret admirer was.

Yuri also noticed the lack of the key chain and questioned Gwendal about it.

Gwendal's face burned. "I lost it. I'm sorry Heika."

"No worries, Gwendal. I can get you another."

"That's okay, Heika. I already lost the first one you gave me. If I lost a second one, it would be most unfortunate."

Three weeks went by. Each night, he was asked to leave another object and was rewarded the next night with another letter. The person talked about everything under the sun, from why Gwendal meant so much to them to who they were as a person: what hobbies they had, what kinds of things they liked and didn't like, and even more personal things like how many children they wanted to have. The person began leaving trinkets with the letters. Those got put away in the box that Gwendal put the letters in, so he wouldn't lose them. Gwendal grew more and more to love the person in the letters, so when the final letter came asking him to be at the fountain at sundown, he didn't hesitate.

As the sun began to set, Gwendal went to sit out by the fountain. He had only been there for five minutes when he heard a rustling behind him and shifted his weight to turn around. A voice whispered back from the darkness.

"Don't turn around just yet."

Gwendal settled back on his perch by the fountain in response.

"I know you're hoping it's someone in particular that's been leaving these letters." The voice continued to whisper. "Before I reveal myself, care to share you you think it is?"

Gwendal blushed. "I've never exactly told anyone this before. Well, I've talked with Gunter a little bit of how I feel, but he doesn't know fully." He paused, gathering up courage to say who he hoped it to be. "I'm going to feel like an ass if it's not who I'm hoping..."

"Don't worry. I won't be offended."

"For months now, I've thought of no one else. I have dreams at night of us being together. My heart pounds any time they are near. I've pictured these letters being sent by this person and that has made my feelings for them even stronger." His throat threatened to close on him, but he coughed and put his head in hands. "Yuri, I really hope it's you. I've never been good with words, but you have become the most handsome, beautiful man I have ever met. You have become my life. When you are away, my heart feels like it is ripping into a thousand pieces, only to be fixed when you return. You have turned into the king I knew you could be, though I'm still amazed at the fact that you have far exceeded my expectations. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm in love with you."

A thud sounded from behind him and Gwendal turned abruptly. Sitting on the opposite edge of the fountain was a box with all of the objects he'd been asked for. Gwendal's heart dropped. It wasn't Yuri. Yuri wouldn't have led him on like this. Yuri wouldn't have returned all of the things that Gwendal had willingly given. He almost vomited right there by the fountain, but gulped several breaths of air to calm his stomach. He had opened up to loving someone and had his heart crushed. He slowly walked over and picked up the box. After he walked back to his room, each object was put slowly back into it's original place. Gwendal noticed, with a frown, that there was one object missing. His hair tie. Gwendal threw the now empty box against the wall and yelled in frustration. Why had he let himself be hurt? Years of never letting anyone that close and when he finally does hold his heart out for someone, it's tossed away like a piece of garbage. He fell onto the bed without bothering to undress, exhausted emotionally from what had transpired that evening.

Judging by the light outside his window, he had overslept again. This time however, unlike those other times, he pulled the covers over his head and tried to go back to sleep. He didn't want to have to face the day after what had happened last night. Knowing that the paperwork wouldn't do itself, Gwendal groaned and pushed himself out of bed. He dressed in clean clothes and decided to head down to the dining hall. He didn't want to face the one person he was in love with just yet. As it was, Yuri was enjoying breakfast with everyone instead of being in the office like he usually was. Gwendal stopped cold in the doorway, very nearly turning to leave. Yuri hopped up out of his seat and greeted Gwendal with a smile before walking deliberately to him. He stood in front of the older mazoku, doing nothing more than staring deeply into his eyes, but wreaking havoc on Gwendal's heart and stomach.

Then Yuri reached up his right hand. Gwendal thought nothing of it until he noticed one little thing: his hair tie was around Yuri's wrist. His heart threatened to pound out of his chest. Yuri grinned at Gwendal, confusing him even more.

"Gwendal, I did write you those letters. I didn't have the courage to tell you all those things to your face because I didn't know how you felt about me until last night. Last night, I, well, I'm sorry if I hurt you. I just wanted to be able to propose in front of everyone. That way you know I'm serious and not just some punk kid playing games with your heart."

Suddenly, without speaking any more, Yuri slapped Gwendal's left cheek. Gwendal stood, stunned at what was happening. He reached up and touched his stinging cheek, looking around at all of the people watching them. His mother, Gunter, and even Yozak looked to be close to tears. Geika was smiling his approval at him. Conrad, Yuri's godfather and protector, pinned him with a stare as if to say "You'd better not hurt my boy or you'll regret it." Gwendal then looked down at the man himself.

"Yuri," Gwendal began. What would he say to him? How could he tell the love of his life exactly how he felt? A thought struck him and he knew. The best and greatest way to accept a proposal was for the one that was slapped to seal it with a kiss. Gwendal bent his head down and kissed the Maou full on the lips. He almost pulled away when he felt Yuri's arms slide up around his neck. His own arms slid around Yuri's waist and pulled his intended tight against him. The kiss would have lasted forever, but Yozak started catcalling and whistling at the newly engaged couple. They pulled away from each other, blushing and grinning shyly. Gwendal was more glad than ever that he decided to come down for breakfast and vowed mentally to never miss another.

_So, what did you think? I have begun to really love Yuri and Gwendal together, and couldn't resist writing a story for them. However, even though they are happily together and engaged, what would a love story be without pain and disaster (especially when Yuri seems to be a magnet for trouble and danger.) Next chapter, Yuri is kidnapped and we get to see a side of Gwendal that is rarely seen. As always, I do not own KKM or it's characters, just what I do to them. Thank you all for reading and I hope to see you next time! _


	2. Chapter 2

Gwendal woke up slowly and stretched. Yuri had wore him out yesterday. Not in the mad, passionate sex way. Gwendal blushed at the thought. Yuri had decided that the now three months engaged couple needed a day off. They'd gone hiking, swimming, fishing, and made some sort of absolutely delicious food called Bar-Bee-Kyoo. Such a weird name for a wonderful food. Then as they were watching the sunset, Gwendal kissed Yuri. The king had responded... very... well. The general blushed deeper when he remembered the look of longing on Yuri's face.

Gwendal felt movement beside him. He was out of bed and at his sword before he remembered that he caved in and let Yuri sleep in his bed last night. Yuri looked over at him groggily.

"Gwendal, is there a problem?"

"No, Heika." Old habits die hard.

Yuri scowled. "Then come back over here. You were keeping me warm."

Gwendal looked at the adorable, sleepy face and he couldn't resist. The kingdom could wait for their Maou and general for a little while longer.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Gwendal woke up to the sound of someone beating on his door. He growled a response before untangling himself from Yuri's arms and moving towards the door. A note slipped under. Gwendal picked it up, read it, then bolted from the room without bothering to put on a shirt. The maids in his path fainted and his guards stood with their jaws hanging open. The general had never been seen with a stray hair out of place, let alone half naked. Gwendal didn't notice any of this. He only had his mind on getting the note to Conrad.

Long before Gwendal found him, news of his older brother's state of undress had reached Conrad. He stood outside the office and waited patiently, though not calmly. He could think of one thing that would make his brother run around half naked: Yuri. He didn't have to wait long. A minute or two had passed before Gwendal was grabbing the front of his jacket, dragging him into the office, and slamming the door. Gwendal waved the note in front of his face before he could ask what was wrong.

"Conrad, someone got into the castle and left this note this morning! They're threatening to take Yuri if I don't expose myself to the whole country."

Gwendal dropped heavily into the nearest chair. Conrad could only pat his brother on the shoulder to comfort him. He was only one of what he had previously thought to be only three people that knew Gwendal's secret. He knew who "they" were and knew also that "they" would most definitely keep their promise. On the other hand, revealing himself would destroy him and possibly destroy the Maou's credibility.

"Gwendal, we'll just have to guard him closer. I can pull together a team of my best men and we'll set up a 24 hour watch. It'll work."

Gwendal shook his head. "I don't want any of this to get to Yuri. If we increase his number of guards, he's sure to get suspicious and start asking questions that I'm not prepared to answer."

"I, well I didn't think about that. Yuri Heika is not a stupid person by any means. He would of course figure out that something is wrong, though I doubt he'd ever guess the secret you're hiding from him."

Gwendal leaped to his feet and shoved Conrad away from him. "It's for his own good. He doesn't need to know about... this."

"But Gwendal, you're engaged to him. I think you owe my godson some sort of explanation."

"He'd hate me," Gwendal whispered.

"Then you don't know our Heika very well at all if you think that. It's not in his nature to hate the people he loves." Conrad paused to let that sink in. "Stay here. I'm going to get you some clothes. You scared the life out of the maids and guards."

Conrad shook his head and gave his brother a small smile before heading out the door. He was halfway to Gwendal's bedroom before an idea struck him. He started to chuckle. It would be only too easy to convince Yuri that it was a good idea. Once he won Yuri over, Gwendal would follow like a puppy.

He had his mind working out the details and didn't notice a small yelp when he threw open the door to what he thought was his brother's empty room. He had gathered half of Gwendal's uniform before noticing that Yuri was standing in front of the window, completely embarrassed. A very obviously naked Yuri, Conrad thought, seeing as his godson's hair was completely wet and only a towel kept him from being indecent. A thought floated through Conrad's head and he blushed, quickly pushing out of his head. He did not need a mental image of his older brother and his godson together in bed.

"Hei- uh Yuri. I didn't know you were in here."

"Heh, yeah, I... Oh God!! It's not what you think! We only slept in here. Nothing else. I just got back from the bath. My clothes were in here, so..."

"Yuri, you do not need to explain yourself to me. It's none of my business what you do with your fiancée. I just came in here to grab Gwendal's uniform. He went to the office without it."

"He _never _forgets his uniform. What's wrong, Conrad?"

"Well, we were discussing plans for a getaway for the two of you. I was thinking maybe the hot springs? That Houseki shield should keep Gwendal from getting sick."

"When can we leave?" Yuri nearly hopped in his excitement.

"Well, that's the thing. You have to try to convince Gwendal that he should go. He's afraid that you might not want to go anywhere with him. He's still new to the whole "somebody truly loves me" thing."

Yuri looked thoughtful for a second. "Conrad, we'll just let him think it's my idea to go to the hot springs. I know he can't resist when I put on my cute face."

Conrad couldn't keep a smile from his face. Too easy. He turned his back so Yuri could get dressed. When he was done, they both gathered the rest of Gwendal's uniform and headed for the general's office. Yuri chattered on happily. From what Conrad could tell, the royal couple was going to wait a few months before tying the knot. They were happy to have their feelings out in the open finally, so there was no rush. Yuri told him all about the previous day's events. He started laughing, not able to picture his too serious brother excited over catching a fish. Yuri really was good for him.

When they arrived at the office, Gwendal was talking quietly to Yozak. The spy looked serious and deep in thought. Upon noticing the Maou and Conrad, Yozak straightened and smiled.

"Hey, boyo, Captain. How are things going? I see you brought Lord von Voltaire his clothes. Honestly, running around the castle half naked? What else is going to go crazy around here?"

Yozak started laughing. One look at Gwendal's face, though, and he knew it was time for him to start his new mission. He grinned one more time before waltzing out of the room.

Yuri had been right about Gwendal. After only a couple of minutes of begging, Gwendal caved. His inability to resist cute things was only part of the reason. He knew that the guards could be increased without raising the king's suspicion. Gwendal could see that Conrad knew it as well by the smirk on his face. Yuri excused himself a few minutes later to start lessons early with Gunter. He knew his advisor would be distraught to be left behind, but if Yuri spent extra time on his lessons, Gunter would feel much better. The brothers watched the king leave and shut the door behind him, waiting a few minutes before speaking.

"This was your idea, wasn't it?"

Conrad smirked. "What can I say, the more guards the better."

"And you think this trip would be safer than keeping him here?"

"They made it inside to your bedroom and back out again unnoticed. This trip couldn't be any worse than that."

Gwendal visibly relaxed and nodded.

TTTTTTTTTT

They set out bright and early the next morning. If Yuri was suspicious of the extra guards, he hid it very well. Gwendal had the carriage brought out for Yuri but, much to his chagrin, Yuri insisted that if Gwendal was going to be on horseback, then he would be as well. The seriously determined face let everyone know that to argue with him would be disastrous.

They made camp three times before reaching the borders of Caloria. Yuri chattered away, oblivious and happy to be with his two favorite men. Gwendal and Conrad, however, knew that they were being followed. On three separate occasions, Conrad's men found tracks. The third time, the tracks ventured a little too close for comfort. Conrad whispered this to Gwendal who nodded for Conrad to check it out. He himself would find some way to distract Yuri from the soldier's missing presence.

"Heika, how was you mother the last time you visited her?"

The poor Maou shuddered. "She made me strip so she could see if I'd sprouted any wings. Dad tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't be stopped. She hadn't seen me in three months, so..."

Yuri let the sentence hang. Gwendal looked over at him. "Is something bothering you, Heika?"

"No, not really." Yuri sighed. "It's just that after me, everyone figured mom wouldn't have any more kids and well, apparently the time before this that I visited her, she was a month along. Now she's about five months. She is clumsier than I am, so I'm a little concerned."

"Heika, your mother will be fine. She has Shori-Heika to watch over her and whenever she goes into labor, we can go there and be by her side."

"We? Gwendal, you'll go with me?"

"I would think of nothing else but to be there for the birth of my Heika's younger sibling."

"Thank you Gwendal." Yuri smiled at his fiancée. Then an almost evil glint flashed in his eyes and Gwendal leaned back, shocked. "By the way, you know how I've told you to call me Yuri and not Heika any more." He waited for Gwendal's confused nod before continuing. "Well, if you call me Heika again, I'm going to kiss you so passionately in front of everybody that you will NEVER doubt my feelings for you EVER again."

Gwendal's jaw fell open. Yuri simply smiled. The general could tell Yuri really hoped that he messed up. He was even more shocked to find that he wouldn't be too upset if he did. He blushed at the thought and watched as Yuri blushed too.

"I, ahem, I'll try to remember. Yuri."

Just then, rustling sounded in the trees behind them. At first Gwendal though that Conrad may have returned. He paused when he smelled something wrong on the wind. Then a faint cry came from the direction of the rustling. Gwendal growled low in his throat and pulled Yuri closer to him, not daring to turn around just yet.

Deep, sinister laughter echoed behind the couple. Gwendal spun, pulling Yuri behind him. He crouched slightly and growled a little louder this time. Yuri had never seen Gwendal act like this before. It had him terrified of the older mazoku.

"Well, well, well. This _is_ interesting. You've been holding out on us," the voice seemed to echo all around them. Gwendal pulled Yuri closer to his back. "Your younger brother took all the credit as the Lion of Lutenberg, but no one said there was a wolf in the family as well."

Gwendal growled louder in response, crouching a little lower. Yuri touched his shoulder.

"Gwendal, what does he mean?"

"Oh my. My goodness. You mean to tell me that your betrothed has no idea about you? This is just too much. No worries. I can stand here while you explain. This will be fun to watch."

Gwendal's face burned in shame as he turned to Yuri. The Maou's confused expression was too much for the general. He collapsed to his knees burying his face in his hands. Yuri knelt in front of the man he loved dearly. Concern and love covered his face as he reached out to him.

"Gwendal?"

"Yuri, I..."

"Well, get on with it," the voice growled impatiently out of the darkness. Gwendal growled louder this time, then shook his head as though to clear it.

"I, my... father... he came from a long line of a special race of people. My mother knew it at the time, but ever the romantic, she didn't care that she might have a son that would be... special. I... ended up being more like my father than anyone knows. He was... I am a-"

"Too long. Time's up."

A form leaped out of the trees and landed in front of Gwendal. Yuri yelped. It was a wolf and the wolf seemed to be... smiling? He watched in shock as Gwendal's body shimmered and then he too turned into a wolf. He was intrigued at the same time. Gwendal looked at him and Yuri could almost see shame on the hairy face. The king reached out and scratched Gwendal behind his ear.

"This changes nothing. I still love you and we WILL be married. Make no mistake about that."

If it could be possible on a wolf's face, Gwendal seemed to gather confidence from Yuri's statement. The other wolf, angry at being ignored, growled and lunged at the couple. Gwendal jumped in the air and rammed his head into the other wolf's chest. Both fell to the ground with a thud. Yuri stumbled back a couple of steps, not wanting to get in the way. By doing so, he saw that there was not one wolf but about twelve. He started to holler at Gwendal when one of the wolves knocked him to the ground and the last thing he saw before he went unconscious was the other eleven wolves leaping on Gwendal at the same time.

_So, there we have it. Gwendal's little secret. I thought it seemed fitting. Thank you for your reviews so far and for being patient. Work, school, and family ties up a lot of time. I do however have the next chapter started, so it should not take long at all. Let me know what you think so far. I always appreciate tasteful reviews!! _


	3. Chapter 3

Conrad and his men had no luck trying to find their followers. The tracks dead ended at a river. The river washed away any traces of what direction they had taken. Conrad split his men into three groups: one to go north at the river, one to go south at the river, and the third to join him in returning to the camp. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing. It was almost as though someone had lured him and half the guards away from the camp so Yuri would be less defended.

"Shit!" Conrad shouted, making his group stare at him strangely. "We've got to fly back to camp. Your Maou Heika is in danger!"

Every one of the soldiers Conrad picked were fiercely loyal to his godson. They wasted no time in returning to the camp. As they neared, Conrad's stomach dropped in dread. A howl of absolute anguish pierced through the forest. It had to be Gwendal. Conrad's fears were confirmed when they got into camp. Blood was everywhere. The tents were shredded. In the middle of it all lay Gwendal in a pool of his own blood. Or at leas Conrad assumed it was Gwendal. He had never before seen his brother's shape-shifted form. Both of the wolf's back legs were broken and Conrad cringed when he saw bones poking through. Gwendal lifted his head and when he saw it was his brother, he shifted back into his human self.

"Conrad, those bastards took him. I, there were... too many... of them." Gwendal moved to sit up and gasped.

Conrad knelt beside his brother, wishing for the first time ever that he had maryoku to at least take some of the pain away. Riding to the castle like this was going to be a nightmare for the older mazoku. They were going to have to ride fast. Conrad knew of only one way to keep Gwendal from feeling pain and he hoped his brother would forgive him later. He reared back and hit Gwendal square in the jaw, knocking him out cold. It took him and two other soldiers to drape Gwendal across his horse.

Conrad sent a message to the castle before they headed out, so it was only one day of hard riding before they met up with Gunter, Gisela, and another large portion of army. Gisela wasted no time in ordering people to lay Gwendal carefully out on a mat. He groaned only once while they moved him. Gisela's brow furrowed as she released her maryoku and when she felt that she had done what she could, she gave Gwendal an herbal tea to knock him out for the rest of the journey back to the castle. They did not need an angry, hurt mazoku on their hands.

They arrived back at the castle to find a worn and tattered Yozak. Claw marks and bite marks covered his upper body. He had removed his shirt and was tending to the spots he could reach. The ones on his back still oozed blood. It wasn't in Gisela's nature to ignore the wounded, but she made an exception for Yozak. The one time she had tried to help him many, many years ago, he snapped at her. The only person he allowed to tend his wounds was his captain. With the look on Conrad's face, she knew Yozak would be well taken care of. Everyone waited while Yozak gave the rundown of what he had found out which was only that the wolves did have Yuri and were heading north back to their lands. Gwendal made a choking sound. The rest of the group looked at him in sadness. To take an army up there to get their king back would be an act of war.

Conrad motioned for Gisela to heal the worst of Yozak's wounds and the spy would have protested, but at the look on his captain's face, he shut his mouth. After the deepest wounds had been healed, Gisela and Gunter took Gwendal inside to rest for the night. As soon as they were alone, Conrad spoke.

"Yozak this... this is the worst I've seen you look. I... here, let me help."

He pulled the cloth and disinfectant out of Yozak's hands and started where he left off. Yozak flinched when Conrad moved over the larger scrapes that were left, but otherwise was silent as he let his captain clean his wounds. When he had finished, Yozak tried to hand Conrad the roll of bandages, but he pushed them away.

"Why don't we take a bath first?"  
The last bath they had flashed through Yozak's mind and he uncharacteristically blushed. The spy had made such a fool of himself that he didn't speak to Conrad for three months. To think, kissing a superior officer, even if he was a good friend! He wasn't sure if he could survive another bath with the devastatingly handsome, sexy half-mazoku.

"I-I-um, I'm n-not so sure that would be a good idea, sir" Damn his stuttering! The captain was the only person to ever make him feel tongue-tied.

Conrad moved to stand in front of Yozak. He raised an eyebrow. "On the contrary, I think a bath would be wonderful." He walked back behind Yozak, leaned forward, and whispered in his best friend's ear. "We cannot leave until tomorrow morning. Gwendal still needs to recover a bit more be fore Gisela will let him go and he's skin us alive if we left without him. So, I plan to enjoy my evening with a very hot, sexy red-head."

Conrad couldn't hide a smile as he gingerly slid an arm under his spy's shoulders, helping the younger of the pair to his feet. "You have carried me more times than I can keep track of. It's nice to do this for you for a change."

"Don't get used to it, Captain," Yozak smiled. "I don't plan to get hurt like this again any time soon."

They made their way slowly to the baths. The two men undressed and slid into the warm water simultaneously. Conrad stood still in the water for several minutes as though he were contemplating something serious. If Yozak hadn't been watching so intently, he wouldn't have noticed the look of unsure determination and the slight nod. He felt rather confused, but didn't even have an opportunity to ask. Conrad swam over to stand in front of him.

"Yozak, I have a confession." Uh-oh, thought Yozak. Here it comes. He doesn't want me around. "The last time we bathed together you kissed me." Yozak nodded, his stomach lurching. "I must say it was a bit... unexpected, though not unwanted. In fact, I really enjoyed it and would have told you that, but you disappeared. This time around, I'm going to make sure you know how I feel. Yozak I didn't exactly have the most noble intentions in mind when I asked you to bathe with me. What I really wanted-"

"Is this," Yozak finished for him before pushing away from the wall and kissing Conrad with every ounce of love he felt for him. Conrad moaned against his lips and Yozak could help but respond in kind.

"Your room or mine?" Yozak whispered between kisses.

"I. Don't. Care." Conrad's brain had begun to fog over.

"Follow me then." Yozak struggled to push himself away. Stopping right now seemed almost like torture. His brain eventually won out. Privacy would probably be a good thing. The spy winced as he pushed himself out of the bath which snapped Conrad out of his haze.

"We should probably wait until you feel better."

"No worries, this is nothing. Don't start something you don't intend to finish." Yozak flashed Conrad his charming, crooked grin. Conrad was out of the pool in a flash and had his arms around his spy once again. The pair made their way slowly back to Yozak's room and slammed the door behind them.

TTTTTTTTTT

Gwendal lay in his bed, fuming. Well it would be more accurate to say his was imprisoned on his bed by Gunter. He didn't care that his oldest friend had his health in mind. Yuri was out there and he would do whatever he could to get free from Gunter's surprisingly strong hold on him. Gwendal had tried every kind of force. None of it worked. Gunter simply strengthened the bonds holding him down. It was time to get dirty.

"Gunter we need to go get Yuri."

"Gisela said to keep you here until tomorrow when she shows up."

"I'm just worried about our poor Heika. All alone out there amongst those evil wolves." Gwendal had never tried to guilt someone into anything before and it left a bad taste in his mouth, but he needed desperately to go get his king and lover. He sighed and it didn't take much for him to put a worried, sad, devastated look on his face. "Who knows what they will do to him?"

"Gwendal I... I... never go against my daughter's medical advice."

"He's probably scared. He didn't even know he was in danger and we ALL let him get kidnapped." The more Gwendal thought about it, the more terrified he was. "Please Gunter. Please let's go and rescue our king."

Gunter's eyes filled with tears and he let Gwendal up. "Oh dear Heika. How could I have allowed this to happen? We will find you, and when we do I can only hope beyond all hope that you will forgive me of this atrocity."

Gwendal felt only slightly guilty about tearing Gunter up like that. Whatever he had to do to go find his king. "Gunter focus. We need to gather the soldiers and supplies. I'll find Conrad and Yozak, you get Gisela and Anissina. We'll need everyone we can get. Send for Geigen Hube. He'll be in charge while we take back our king."

Gunter rushed out of the room with a nod. This was the Gwendal that he hadn't seen in many days. The chief advisor couldn't help but feel hope that they would be successful.

Gwendal took off for Conrad's room. He was a little confused when he arrived and found that no one was in there. Maybe they were in Yozak's room discussing tactical plans for the possible upcoming fight. The spy's room was not far from Conrad's, so in no time at all he was knocking on the door. Frantic scuffling could be heard. Something slammed into the wall. Gwendal panicked, thinking someone had shown up to finish the job on Yozak. He kicked open he door, barged in, and froze in embarrassed shock. From the looks of things, neither one of the men had been dressed seeing as their clothes were wrinkled and buttoned haphazardly.

"I thought something was wrong. I apologize." Gwendal looked down and cleared his throat. "We're leaving tonight. I was just letting you know to get ready." Gwendal looked from one man to the other and back. "Congratulations to the both of you." The General spun on his heel and walked quickly from the room.

TTTTTTTTTT

Yuri woke to the smell of musty, wet fur surrounding him. The back of his head throbbed where he had hit it on the ground. He felt the knot. There was a scabbed over gash about an inch long. Dried blood caked in his hair. He shuddered, then jumped to his feet, nearly falling over from blood loss. Gwendal! Where was he?! What had happened? Wolves. There had been a lot of wolves who attacked Gwendal who was... also a wolf.

"That was a crazy and very real dream," Yuri muttered to himself, hoping with his whole being that he really had been dreaming.

"Not a dream, Your Highness."

Yuri jumped and yelped. Out of the trees to his left, the first wolf he had seen walked torwards him. Yuri took a couple of hasty steps back, tripped over a log, and fell on his backside. The wolf only stopped walking once he reached Yuri's side. He sniffed the king and made a gagging sound.

"You still smell like that nasty, traitorous beast."  
"What did you do to Gwendal?"

"Oh we made sure that he couldn't follow us. That was probably the most exciting fight I have had in my whole life. With that many of us attacking him, he still managed to kill one of my group and severely injure three more. I was too impressed with that to kill him. Especially since I'm sure at some point a trade could be made and he'd work for me so you could be released."

"But instead of releasing me, you'd end up killing me wouldn't you?"

"Oh we'd be sure to take you far enough away from your lover beforehand so he'd never find out about it. He'd live the rest of his life thinking that he had been a brave hero by giving up his life to let you go." The wolf barked a loud cackle. He was beside himself with glee.

Yuri stood slowly, his eyes never leaving the wolf. He started shaking. His entire body started to glow blue and his hair lengthened. He was so focused on turning into the Maou that he never noticed the two men coming up behind him. The slapped a bracelet on each of his wrists and suddenly he felt empty. He could still feel the Maou's presence, but there was no energy, no magic. Yuri tried once more to release the Maou, but there was nothing. He could almost see the Maou shake his head in disbelief. Yuri collapsed in fear. That was his last line of defense and it was suddenly gone after all these years. What had they done to him?

_So I thought I could get this one posted faster, but having tests, papers, and observations due for class (not to mention finding out I'm pregnant) kinda pushed this to the back burner for a couple of weeks. I hope you all like how the story is progressing. I really appreciate the reviews I have been getting. Keep them coming!!_


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for the group to find the wolves' trail. The pack had decided that speed was better than trying to cover their tracks. The fourth night they made camp, all knew that they would be catching the wolves tomorrow and their king could return home safely. Or at least that's what everyone hoped happen. Gwendal was getting more and more irritable with each passing mile. Earlier that afternoon he had splintered a 300 year old oak tree into toothpicks when asked to gather wood for the lunch fire. The day before, he had backhanded one of the guards saying that the guard didn't care for his horse properly.

Gwendal sat stone-faced in front of the evening fire. Conrad could see in his brother's eyes, even if no one else could, that the older mazoku was about to snap. It almost frightened Conrad to see Gwendal in this state. Nothing before had ever shaken the battle hardened general. This just proved how much he cared for the king. Conrad sat beside him and said nothing for several minutes. After a while he decided to try to calm Gwendal a little bit.

"Gwendal, how are you holding up?"

"Fine." His one word answer told Conrad more than Gwendal wanted to let on.

"I don't think you're fine. You know why? Because I'm not fine. I'm worried, no scared, that we're not going to find Yuri. I promised I would never leave his side and what happens? I fall for an ambush and he gets kidnapped. I-I," Conrad looked down at his hands. "I really and truly blame myself for what happened."

"Don't Conrad." Gwendal's voice sounded gravelly from lack of use. "Don't blame yourself. If I had just told him no. If I had just not accepted his proposal, he would never have been in any danger. At least not from these people. I shouldn't have said yes."

Conrad leaped to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. "How dare you! How dare you do that to yourself and Yuri. He is completely and utterly in love with you and you're going to throw that away?! He deserves someone that is going to love him unconditionally. He deserves loyalty from everyone around him, but especially from his future husband! He deserves the best this world has to offer. I've seen how you look at him Gwendal. I know how you feel. You tried to protect him the best you could, but sometimes we get outnumbered. There was nothing you could do, so stop with the "poor me" act and realize something. You two love each other. You need each other. That's all there is to it."

"He doesn't need someone like me."

Anissina walked over to join the conversation, Gunter wasn't far behind. "Gwendal, we're here for you. We're going to get Yuri-Heika back and then you guys can live happily ever after."

Gwendal shook his head sadly. "His kidnapping has made me see something: I'm not good enough for him. When we get back to the castle and after he rests up, I'm going to break off the engagement and resign my position."

Conrad couldn't help himself. He swung as hard as he could at Gwendal's face. The general barely had time to block the punch, and as it was he still got knocked flat on his back. That seemed to be the last straw. He stood slowly. The ground started to rumble as he lifted his hands. Then suddenly, he spun and took off into the woods. Conrad gave an apologetic smile to the group and took off after his eldest brother. It didn't take him long to figure out what Gwendal was planning. Not far from the camp, Gwendal's footprints stopped and a set of wolf tracks began. He was running off to get Yuri himself! Conrad cursed under his breath and ran back to the camp to warn everyone. Withing minutes, they had packed up only the necessities and followed after Gwendal.

TTTTTTTTTT

Gwendal knew he shouldn't have gone in by himself. He knew it could ruin everything, but after the things Conrad said he couldn't resist trying. As he neared the wolves' camp, the fur on the back of his neck stood up. They knew he was here. They were probably already watching him. As if to confirm his suspicions, a voice spoke from the camp.

"Come ahead, my dear Gwendal. Join us. We were just talking about you, weren't we Yuri?"

Yuri muttered something intelligible as Gwendal walked towards the fire. The closer he got, the more he knew that they had done something to Yuri. His eyes looked sunken in. His skin was a waxy, gray color. Bruises lined his arms and legs and who knew where else. It infuriated him. A growl started low in his chest.

"What have you done to him?"

"Oh, just a little of this and a little of that. Don't worry. We haven't done anything too permanent to him."

Gwendal lunged at the leader, knocking him to the ground. He moved to bite the unresisting throat and realized that the man was grinning at him.

"By all means, kill me, but just know that if I die they will kill your true love."

Gwendal pulled back and sat on his haunches. Yuri weakly lifted a hand to entangle in Gwendal's fur, but it fell back against his side limp. The older man saw a silver-gold bracelet shining on his wrist and moved to sniff it, the leader never leaving his peripheral. The scent that hit him was deadly, metallic, and strong. One look in Yuri's eyes and Gwendal knew that this was what made Yuri look so terrible. His haunted eyes stared back at Gwendal and he started howling. The leader shifted quickly and leaped onto Gwendal's back.

"Shut up, mongrel! You'll have the rest of you pack finding us. Remember what will happen if I die. Your precious king will die before I give my last breath."

Gwendal choked back the howling. He knew his friends wouldn't be far behind. Conrad was nothing if not a good tracker. They would soon be attacking the camp and by doing so signing their king's death warrant.

"Now that I'm here, you can let the boy go. It's what you've wanted. Let him go."

"No, what we really wanted is for you to know that you will live while the boy here will die. All because of you and your stupidity. Why would you try to run from us? Did you think you would get far? Did you think we couldn't find you?!" The last question was spit out like an insult and Gwendal visibly flinched. Faint murmuring could be heard and the leader spun on Yuri. "Shut UP! Just shut up won't you! You're not helping anything. We will kill him if you don't shut up."

Gwendal started growling again. He leaned closer to Yuri to hear him speak. "They will kill me as soon as they let me go. They know that will break you entirely and I can't handle that." Yuri struggled to take in a breath. "They've blocked the Maou. I don't know what these bracelets are, but I can't summon him. He's still there and I can feel him, but he's just as confused as I am. Gwendal, my love, run fast. Don't let them catch you. Please I-"

The leader struck Yuri across the face and Gwendal bit his arm, dragging him away from Yuri. "Your fight is with me. Leave him out of it."

The other man smiled wickedly, nodding his head. Three more wolves leaped out of the shadows and surrounding Gwendal. "My dear Gwendal, your friends have arrived. I seriously doubt that they'll be able to handle my small army, but even if they can best them I can die knowing that your lover will die as well."

The leader of the wolves shimmered and changed his shape. Yuri screamed as the four wolves lunged at Gwendal. He could hear tearing and ripping. He'd only seen Gwendal twice now in his wolf form, but he knew the sound of his lover howling in pain. Yuri's vision exploded. He started screaming even louder, his eyes only on the whirlwind of fur and blood. He never noticed the fact that Conrad, Gisela, Anissina, and Gunter slashed their way through the remaining eight wolves. Or the fact that Conrad and Gunter were knocked unconscious and Gisela and Anissina were tied to a tree.

Yuri screamed until his throat was raw. He heard one of Gwendal's legs snap. He started to slam his arms into a nearby tree to get the bracelets off. He could feel the Maou's rage burning in him trying to escape. Yuri couldn't feel the bruises covering his arms. He didn't care. The Maou was taking over, even if he couldn't tap the maryoku powers. Suddenly the bracelets snapped. The Maou leaped forward and before anyone knew what was going on, he had all of the wolves pinned with a water dragon.

TTTTTTTTTT

As Conrad came to, the soldier in him kicked in and he jumped to his feet instantly Alert. Anissina and Gisela were tied to a tree together. Both were fuming. Gunter sat, bound, thirty feet away. Conrad's heart stopped when he saw a profound look of sadness and despair in his mentor's eyes. He caught Gunter's eyes. The adjutant bit back tears and shook his head. Conrad stumbled over to him and untied him.

"Gunter, what's happened? Where's Gwendal? Where's Yuri?"

"Gwendal is going to be fine. Yuri healed him before he..."

"Before he what?"

Gunter looked up. Conrad followed his look and gasped. "Conrad, you have to stop him. He will regret this forever if he goes against all he has believed in for so long."

Conrad looked up again and shuddered. The Maou floated fifteen feet in the air, the wolf leader still in his hands. The usual blue glow surrounded him, but mixed in with is was a red that Conrad had hoped to never see. Where the blue signified peace and justice, the red signified rage and vengeance. If he didn't do something fast, Yuri would regret his actions forever.

"Yuri. Please Yuri. Think about what you are doing. You've always been against killing. Are you going to go against what you've fought so hard for everyone to believe in? Let him down and we can put him on trial. He will rot forever in a cold dark jail cell."

The Maou's glowing red eyes turned to Conrad. "My brave soldier." He smiled gently. "Your Yuri is in agreement with me on this. This... thing," he shook the man, "has not only attacked Yuri himself and his dear loved ones but has also attacked and killed many innocent villagers. Children included. Yuri has decided that this man needs to be dealt with swiftly." The Maou turned back to the whimpering man in his hands. "For crimes against the king, and atrocities unthinkable against his people, your punishment is death. LET JUSTICE BE SERVED!"

Morgif howled gleefully as he was plunged into the murderer's chest. Gunter yelped. Conrad stood in shock, not believing what he just saw happen. The Maou opened his hand holding the man. Everyone flinched as the lifeless body crunched into the ground. The red glow started to fade and the Maou knew he needed to set Yuri on the ground before he, too, fell. He spoke as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"My dear friends, you have supported Yuri in all his decisions. You have always backed him up. Yuri wanted me to tell you this before I return his body to him: justice comes in many forms. Up to this point, he has only accepted peaceful solutions and they have worked for the most part. He feels... naïve for not accepting that punishment is the other side of justice." His voice lowered to a whisper as though he didn't want Yuri to hear the next part. "Please, continue to show him kindness and understanding. He is a sweet person and I have learned much from him."

The Maou faded completely and Yuri collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Before Conrad could kneel next to him he heard rustling in the brush. He and Gunter spun, sword drawn, to fend off any attackers. Both sighed with relief when they recognized Gwendal's green uniform and Yozak's red hair. The new arrivals paused when they saw the crumpled heap not too far from Yuri. Their faces registered the same shock that Conrad had shown only moments before. Gwendal quickly shook that off and limped to Yuri's side. He gathered the king into his arms and the group silently made their way back to camp.

It was agreed that Yuri would ride with Gwendal even though the king was still unconscious the following day. No one wanted to force the general to part with him now that they had finally been reunited. The thing that disturbed everyone, however, was that Yuri had not even budged one inch since the Maou gave him his body back. They all knew that when the Maou used up too much maryoku, Yuri would sleep for days, but those times were always restless. He was a very vocal sleeper and last night not a peep could be heard from him. Gisela was unusually somber whenever she tended him, but told everyone that she would reserve judgment on his condition until they could make it back to the castle and her medical facilities.

Gwendal held Yuri tight against his chest to keep him from falling off the horse. It made his stomach lurch to see how frail his fiancé felt. Gwendal decided to talk to Yuri to hopefully wake him up. The others pretended not to hear, though even Anissina couldn't keep a dry eye at his desperate words. "Don't leave me just yet, Yuri. We haven't had a wedding yet. You haven't helped me pick out colors for our first child's room. Or a name for that matter. I need you here. You've become my life. Who-who else would want to put up with my grouchiness?"

Gwendal's tough armor cracked when Yuri made no movement, even at his poorly attempted joke. He choked back a cry. Why wouldn't he wake up? It would be a long four days back to the castle and Gwendal hoped that he would see his love's beautiful dark eyes looking at him in recognition long before that.

_So, another fun chapter. I couldn't just let them get back together so easily. Yuri is so prone to trouble and it is so against his normal character to kill someone. Next chapter should be the last, though. I can foresee wrapping everything up in a nice neat package by the end of Chapter five. Maybe an epilogue afterwards. We'll see how it goes. As always, thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate the feedback._


	5. Chapter 5

Upon arriving back at the castle, the group noticed something amiss. No one could figure out anything until Geigen Hube stumbled out of the castle with his arm in a sling. He waved his good arm to stop them.

"I need to warn you. Wolfram is back."

"Hube, what happened to your arm?!" Conrad asked in concern.

"It... it was your younger brother. He wanted to know where everyone had gone and I wouldn't tell him. He threatened me, but didn't really explode until he found out that Gwendal and Yuri Heika were engaged. After doing this to me, he locked himself in Yuri Heika's room and hasn't left for two day."

Gunter hopped down off of his horse. "I will go restrain the young prince. Gwendal, take the Maou to your room. Gisela go with him. Conrad, you go too." Gunter strode off purposefully.

"What's wrong with him?" Hube had only just noticed Yuri's lack of movement.

"He passed out after summoning the powers of the Maou and has yet to wake up. It's been several days" Conrad glanced over at Gwendal, who clenched his jaw and held Yuri a little closer.

"Oh, I see. Well, let's get him inside and taken care of." Hube whistled and two stable boys came running. "They will take care of your horses if you would like to go on in."

Conrad hopped off his horse and gently pulled Yuri from Gwendal's arms. The older mazoku quickly jumped down and took his fiancée back. As soon as they had all arrived at Gwendal's room, an explosion ripped through the castle. Yozak sprinted in just moments later.

"The little brat knows everyone is back. Gunter is having a slight problem keeping him under lock and key, so Geika is going to help him out."

Conrad sighed heavily. "When is our brother going to grow up? I can't go try to calm him down. He'll fry me."

Gwendal looked frustrated, first watching where Gisela was tending to his Yuri and then shifting his gaze to his brother. "I suppose I should go help out. I might be able to at least put him in a prison that he cannot escape from."

Gwendal stalked out of the room. Gisela didn't stick around for too much longer after he left. Conrad and Yozak both moved to sit next to Yuri on the bed. The spy draped his arm around his Captain, pulling him closer.

"Everything will be fine. The kiddo will wake up at some point. Wolfram will calm down eventually. Not to mention-"

Yuri sat straight up in bed, eyes wide, making the two older men yelp and jump off of the bed. "What has he done?"

Both men stared at him for several seconds in shock before responding. "Yuri! You're awake! Yozak, go for Gwendal."

"No! I need to know what Wolfram has done. I-I can't, won't, summon the Maou to deal with him. Unless I know what's going on, I'm afraid that will happen."

"Heika, you need to calm down and rest. You have no business leaving this bed."

"Yozak is right. Yuri-"

"How long have I been out?"

"Four days, but-"

"There. You see. Four days worth of rest." Yuri threw back the covers and turned to stand. He never made it to his feet. Vertigo struck and he fell back onto the bed.

"Yuri, since you have been out for four days, you haven't really eaten. You need to rest and eat. Let me go get Gwendal and send for a tray of you favorite foods."

Yuri's face crumpled. "Gwendal must hate me. I, that man, he really did deserve to die. You couldn't see inside him like I could. I was totally wrong. Not everyone has some good in them. That man was pure evil. Even so, I murdered someone after preaching peace for so long. He should have been allowed a trial. How can Gwendal love a murderer?"

One of the guards must have alerted Gwendal because he was in the doorway in time to hear the question. As he moved toward the bed, Conrad and Yozak slipped out the door.

"You could ask me, you know?" His eyes burned into Yuri's and the younger man bit his lip. "I've killed people too. Does that make you love me any less?"

Yuri's eyes filled with tears. He gripped the blanket in his hands, not making eye contact. "That was war. I could have let him be brought back here to be put on trial. I could have-"

"Yuri," Gwendal sat on the bed, taking Yuri's hands in his own. "You did what you had to do. I have a lot of respect for you because of that. I will love you forever. I'm just wondering what you're thinking of me after you found out about my other side."

The younger man cracked a smile for the first time in a while. "Gwendal," he chuckled. "If anyone understands what it's like to have another side, a different personality, it's me. I'm not myself when the Maou takes over."

"I guess that's true. So then, Heika, does that mean you still want to marry this grumpy old mazoku?" As Gwendal moved in to kiss Yuri, he slid his hands up the younger man's arms. "What? What is wrong?"

Yuri had a strange look on his face. He looked almost terrified. Gwendal felt more than saw his youngest brother enter the room. He stood slowly and turned. Wolfram wasted no time. He threw a fireball that Gwendal barely blocked.

"Cheater!" Wolfram screamed. "How dare you leave me for my older brother. Of all people!" Another fireball flew at the couple. Again, Gwendal blocked it. "How dare you, brother. Aren't you supposed to look out for me? Aren't you supposed to take care of me?"

Everyone had come running after Wolfram when he escaped his prison. They stood in shock as he continued to attack Yuri and Gwendal. Several more fireballs were blocked until finally one managed to catch Gwendal's sleeve on fire. Almost instantly the fire was put out and Wolfram was pinned to the wall by his throat with a water dragon.

"How dare you insult my love! Your own brother! I've put up with you torturing me for many years. I will NOT stand by while you torture those I love. I broke it off with you. We are finished. If you continue to be a threat, I will show you just exactly what I am capable of." Red light flashed through the Maou's eyes. Wolfram panicked. He had heard horror stories from history of the red Maou and his anger.

Gwendal shook his arm and put his hand on Yuri's shoulder. Wolfram was lowered slowly to the ground, though still pinned by the water dragon. Conrad and Gunter started to move toward their angry king, but Murata stopped them.

"Let's see how this plays out. We may be pleasantly surprised."

Wolfram looked back and forth between his brothers for help. Even his own mother, though she looked at him with pity, said nothing in his defense.

"Tell me why I should spare you," Yuri growled at him.

"I-I, well I forgive you for being a cheater. I won't be angry anymore. I won't hurt anyone, especially you and Gwendal. Please, Yuri! Please don't kill me for our daughter's sake. For Greta!"

"Greta?!" Yuri roared. His eyes flashed red. "How dare you mention my child's name. She does not belong to you any more. You gave up your claims on her when you were banished the first time. No, I won't kill you, but you will forever be banished to the earth realm where your magic will no longer work. You will live the life of a regular human for the rest of your days. This is my sentence. Let justice be served."

Wolfram felt his body tingle and he started screaming for help. A flash of light shot from Yuri into Wolfram and within seconds, the blond had disappeared. Yuri collapsed onto the bed and barely kept himself from passing out.

"I'm sorry everyone for what I had to do. I just couldn't trust that he would be true to his word and not hurt anyone. His anger was embedded too deep. I will check on him from time to time, but for right now, he's in a safe place."

Cheri-sama smiled sadly at him. "It's okay. I know my son had become more like his father the older he got. I had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this, but I know that the only other choice was death. Thank you, Heika, for not killing my baby."

Yuri breathed a tired sigh of relief. "It makes me happy that you feel that way. I just couldn't bring myself to kill another person. Now, I am tired and I would like some food and to snuggle my fiancée. I apologize for kicking everyone out, but whatever business is left will have to wait until I feel better."

Everyone smiled at each other as they left the room. Gwendal sank to the bed next to Yuri. Yuri pulled Gwendal close and sighed happily.

"Please tell me everything will be okay. That we will not be interrupted for a long time. It's all I really want right now."

"Well then, hush my Yuri. All will be well. The only interruption will be food."

Yuri smiled and snuggled closer to Gwendal. By the time the food trays arrived, the two men were sound asleep. Gunter could only smile at the happy couple as he turned, walked out of the room, and closed the door.

_Well, I know it has been forever since I last updated. Many things came up between then and now: issues with my health and several family members' health. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you all for your patience._


	6. Chapter 6

Six weeks later:

It was the wedding of the century. It seemed as though everyone in the entire world had been invited. Love was in the air and several people made plans to propose to their loved one. It was supposed to bring enormously great luck if one proposed on the day of their Maou's wedding. Gwendal and Yuri both looked amazing in matching white suits. There was not a dry eye in the place after they said their vows. The reception was even more magical than the wedding. Gunter had out done himself on the decorations and stood to one side of the reception hall, grinning at the happy dancing couple when he felt a hand run up his arm.

"Gunter, my love, when is it going to be our turn?"

"Oh Great Shino!" yelped Gunter. "Stop sneaking up on me." Gunter turned around.

Red hair framed a mischievous face. "What? You're not used to me sneaking up on you by now, Gunter dear? Anyway, you should stop being afraid of me already. I haven't experimented on you since you gave me that new pair of pliers."

"I know, Anissina, but can you blame me? For so many years now I've had to run every time I see you coming. It's a hard habit to break."

"Do you remember my promise?"

"Yes, I know. We are to get married and have babies so you can stop your experiments all together and take care of the babies. Until then, however, I'm still nervous for my safety."

Anissina laughed and tugged at Gunter's shirt. "Well, my love, would you like to disappear for a while?" She leaned forward and kissed his ear, then his jaw, and finally his lips. Gunter slid an arm around her waist and smiled. "I should stay, since I was the planner of this event. However, I think Yuri Heika will forgive me for leaving his party for a time."

Murata smiled from across the room as the pair slipped out one of the side doors. They were such an unlikely pair, but it seemed to work for them. Now if only he could approach his match and be as open. He chuckled to himself. After so many lifetimes of love and happiness, one would think the Geika would have no problems telling this person his feelings. It didn't seem to work like that this time around. He felt so tongue-tied every time they were near.

"Murata, how are you doing?"

The Geika jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion on his thoughts. "I'm great, Shori Heika. How are you?"

"A little teary since my baby brother got married, but I'll manage. So anything interesting going on in the last few months since I've seen you?"

Here's your chance, Murata thought to himself. "Oh, well, you know. A few things here and there. I got a very interesting and beautiful poem a couple of months ago. It was written in a very familiar handwriting."

Shori cleared his throat nervously. "Oh really."

"Yeah. The handwriting is very similar to Yuri Heika's, but something is slightly off about it. I can't quite place where I've seen it before. I do know, though, that if this person ever told me to my face how they really feel about me, I would love them to the end of my days and beyond."

Murata glanced knowingly up at the Earth's Maou with a small smile on his face. Shori's jaw hit the floor as he realized he had been found out. He then smiled back at Murata and thought, what the hell, let's go for it. He pushed the younger man up against the wall and leaned down into his face.

"I have had strong feelings for you since you first became friends with my brother. I didn't know, really, quite how to tell you, especially after I found out who you really are. I just felt like I was worthless compared to so many lifetimes of memories and lovers. I-I, well dammit, I couldn't think of any other way to tell you than through an anonymous poem. I hoped that you would figure it out. After two months went by, I felt rejected. I didn't think you wanted me."

Murata reached up and touched Shori's face. "You couldn't be more wrong. I didn't realize that you felt that way about me. I didn't even realize that I felt that way about you until I got the poem. I knew that the handwriting couldn't be Yuri's. I had already figured out his secret crush long before he ever did. I was hoping beyond all hope that it was written by you. I love you, Shori, like I've loved no one else. Even though I have loved many people, I have never felt this strongly about any of them."

Shori grinned at the words and bent down to kiss Murata. The Geika didn't resist in sliding his arms around Shori's neck. A few seconds into the kiss, someone gave out a catcall and whistled obnoxiously loud. The pair moved apart for only a second before Murata pulled Shori's head back down to his. Yuri walked over after a couple of minutes and stood smiling at the new couple.

"So my older brother and my best friend, eh? Who would have thought that all of those shy glances and nervousness would eventually lead to love?"

"You're not upset that I've gone for your older brother are you, Yuri?"

"What? Of course not. Why would I be? Although, you are defiling my only brother and I have yet to see a slap." Yuri grinned mischievously at the pair. Murata looked a little unsure and Shori looked utterly embarrassed. "Though I must say that if it ever does happen, I will gladly give my consent."

Yuri turned around to head back to Gwendal when he heard a loud slap. The whole room went silent. He spun to see a shocked look on his brother's face as he reached up to touch his cheek. Murata still had the unsure smile on his face, Shori still hadn't answered. It felt like an eternity before Shori finally nodded. Murata beamed and jumped on Shori, giving him a huge hug and kiss. Yuri shook his head with a grin.

Gwendal walked over to see what all the commotion was. He could tell by the entangled pair that something had happened. With the grin on Yuri's face, it could only mean a proposal. He smiled and draped an arm around Yuri's shoulder.

"You know, if you two need to go do something, we will forgive you for leaving our reception. It's not like we don't have a thousand other guests to entertain us while you're gone." Shori smiled, nodded, and carried Murata out the side entrance. Gwendal glanced at Yuri. "Have you seen my brother? He disappeared a little while ago and I don't know where he went. I was going to ask him about getting the group ready to leave for earth soon."

Yuri smirked. "Yeah, he and Yozak snuck out a while ago. I think they will be the next ones to get married. Though it sure has taken them long enough. I didn't think they'd ever get together. Oh, and I really want to say thank you for letting us take our honeymoon on earth. My mother is due soon and I'm so happy I get to be there."  
He gave Gwendal a hug and the pair turned hand in hand to join the rest of the guests at the reception. Gwendal thought to himself, of all of those gifts he gave me, the only one that I truly needed was the gift of love.

_Well, I hope it's been worth the wait. It sure has been fun writing about these two. Thank you all again for the reviews and patience. _


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